“I’d bet on myself,” Stefanos Tsitsipas believes he will top the ranking chart before arch-nemesis Alexander Zverev despite early exit at Stuttgart

Tsitsipas confident of getting to the top despite early loss at Stuttgart

Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alexander Zverev (Image via The Indian Express)

There are many players in the current generation who can get to the number one spot. Two of them are Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alexander Zverev. They have been the ones people have looked at as possible number 1s for a while now. However, both of them have not yet climbed the rankings. Zverev came closest by getting to 2, and Tsitsipas got to 3.

With the Big Four holding the number one ranking for almost 18 years, it is very clear that getting to the top of the sport is a massive task. It was Daniil Medvedev who finally broke into the top spot, with the old generation fading away with age. He was then crossed by Carlos Alcaraz, who also held it for a while before passing it back to Novak Djokovic.

When asked about the possibility of getting to number 1 first between the two, Tsitsipas had this to say. “If I could bet money, I’d bet on myself. Of course I see myself as #1 at some point. The competition is tough of course. Zverev was out for a long time with his serious injury..I wish him the best that he recovers quickly.” The Greek clearly backs himself to get to the top before the German. He also pointed out the injury struggles Zverev had to go through which did have a part to play in him not getting to the top despite being in impeccable form. Can Tsitsipas live up to his words?

An average start to the Grass season by Tsitsipas

Q 1687017018 — Stefanos Tsitsipas (Image via The Statesman)

After a humiliating end to the clay season when he got knocked out by Carlos Alcaraz in straight sets at the French Open quarter-finals, Tsitsipas certainly eyed a solid grass start. He also made his relationship with Paula Badosa public after the French Open. He would have loved to translate the positive love energy into wins on the court. However, it wasn’t to be.

Veteran Richard Gasquet stood in the way as Tsitsipas could not conquer the Frenchman. He went down to Gasquet in 3 tough sets. 7-6 (10-8) 2-6 7-5 was the final score and the first set tiebreaker proved to be extremely crucial. This loss was actually an important win for Gasquet as he notched up his 600th win on the tour. Tsitsipas would like to bring back his season on track as soon as possible as he competes in the Halle Open.